This invention relates to boat lights generally, and more particularly to navigation lights which have a depressed, flush inoperative position and an upright exposed position wherein they may be activated to provide navigation light, and are manually movable between such positions.
Boat lights for navigation have been in use for many years and in fact are currently required on certain size boats by U.S. Coast Guard regulations. The forwardly facing boat lights are red and green. If such light is on the bow of the boat, called a bow light, it usually is a combined red and green light with the green light pointing to the right or starboard and the red light pointing to the left or port of the boat. If the light is hull or cabin mounted, and hereinafter referred to as a side light, there is a separate light mounted on the side of the hull or side of the cabin with the light on the starboard side being green and the light on the port side being red.
With prior art navigation lights of the above type, the light housing projects above the deck if it is a bow light, and if it is a side light it projects from the side of the cabin or hull whether or not in use. The lights of the instant invention, when in an operative position, project from the deck, hull or cabin where they are mounted and such an exposed light provide a hazard, since the deck or cabin mounted light may be tripped over, bumped into or entangled while the hull mounted light may strike a dock, piling or the like and cause damage thereto or to the boat. It is therefore desirable to have a base plate which is secured to the deck, cabin or hull, which base plate contains a light-carrying insert with the insert being manually movable between a flush position and a projecting position and having resilient means holding the light in either of its two positions.